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| Power Deptt puts smart metering project in limbo | | 57000 meters rot in godowns | | Early Times Report
Jammu, Feb 7: Tall claims of the Power Department to revolutionize power scenario in J&K stand punctured as the much hyped smart metering project has been kept in limbo. According the sources, the smart metering hasn’t been initiated anywhere in Srinagar and its peripheries as the department is not prepared to commence the process.
In October last year, the government had stated that it was going to install smart meters and the process will begin in Jammu and Srinagar from November 15, 2020.
In the first phase 20,000 meters were to be installed and the process was to continue in a phased manner till all the 200,000 meters sanctioned under the Prime Minister’s Development Package (PMDP) would have been installed .
The consumers were assured that they will also know the status of power supply and load in use when away from home. “The smart meters will bring transparency in metering, billing and collection which will eventually reduce power losses and will ensure quality and reliable power supply to consumers. The consumers can recharge their smart meters in the same manner as mobile phones, thus eliminating the requirement of manual meter reading and paper bill distribution,” the officials had said. “The meters will be read remotely at the data centre in Srinagar and data recovery centre in Jammu, which will also allow the distribution corporations to know the status of power supply at consumer’s end and take prompt action in case there is disruption in the service,” the officials had stated.
However, as per the insiders, the department has kept such a vital project in limbo and same is at the very brink of a collapse. It was informed that locals of many areas objected to the installation of these meters as they cited frequent power outages as the major reasons for the resentment. On the other hand, the Power Department has also failed to ensure that the areas wherein the smart metering was being planned get uninterrupted power supply. “It is the utter reflection of PDD’s failed policies and how it is just providing lip service. As March is coming closer the funds meant for the purpose would lapse and 57000 smart meters purchased for the project will rot in the godowns. It is high time that the government takes the Power Department to task and seek reasons for the delay,” said an official. |
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